IKandy · Sigiriya · Anuradhapura · Polonnaruwa
Private Concierge · Sri LankaCeylon Envoy · Private Concierge
Issue I · mmxxvi · Ceylon
The key to your bestSri Lankan experience.
A private luxury travel concierge for Sri Lanka, bespoke, end-to-end journeys quietly composed by a trusted insider.
Sri Lanka · I
The island keeps itsbest quietly.
A Ceylon Envoy journey is a short, private list of rooms and people we have walked in four monsoons. Nothing packaged, nothing repeated, nothing announced.
We hold the key so our clients never have to search for it.
Discover Sri Lankafour monsoons
Hatton · vi · mmxxvi
Ceylon · Sri Lanka · mmxxvi
The key to your best
Sri Lankan experience.
Scroll
IIElla · Nuwara Eliya · Haputale · Hatton
HighlandsMist, tea and mountain trains
IIIGalle · Mirissa · Trincomalee · Arugam Bay
CoastTwo shores, always in season
IVFort · Pettah · Cinnamon Gardens · Galle Face
CapitalThe capital, alive and cosmopolitan
Experiences in Sri Lanka, eight curated pillars
III · ExperiencesEight pillars across the island.
Iwildlife Sri Lanka
WildlifePrivate, guided safaris
Sri Lanka is one of the world's best wildlife destinations. Yala is among the most reliable places anywhere to see a wild leopard, and Udawalawe delivers elephants at close range almost every drive. We arrange private safaris with expert local guides, timed to beat the crowds.
- Leopard trackingYala & Wilpattu (Feb-Jul)
- Elephant herdsUdawalawe & the Transit Home
- The GatheringMinneriya & Kaudulla (Aug-Oct)
- Gal Oya boat safariSenanayake Samudra
- Sloth bearWilpattu (palu season, May-Jul)
- Flamingos & waterbirdsBundala (Oct-Mar)
- Breeding lagoonsKumana
- Endemic birdingSinharaja rainforest
- Elephant corridorWasgamuwa & Lunugamvehera
- Tented wilderness campYala & Wilpattu buffer
Open the wildlife room
IIocean Sri Lanka
OceanWhales, dolphins and reefs
The Indian Ocean surrounds Sri Lanka on both sides, so there is good water in season somewhere all year. Blue whales pass Mirissa, dolphins gather at Kalpitiya, and turtles nest along the south coast. We arrange private boats and dives with experienced local skippers.
- Blue & sperm whalesMirissa & Dondra (Nov-Apr)
- Blue whalesTrincomalee (May-Sep)
- Spinner dolphin super-podsKalpitiya (Dec-Apr)
- Reef snorkellingPigeon Island, Nilaveli (May-Oct)
- Bar Reef divingKalpitiya (Nov-Apr)
- Great & Little Basses wreck diveKirinda (Mar-Apr)
- Coral & turtle snorkelHikkaduwa
- Turtle night-nesting watchRekawa (Apr-Jul)
- Turtle hatcheryKosgoda
Open the ocean room
IIIsurfing Sri Lanka
SurfTwo coasts, waves all year
Sri Lanka has surf all year across two coasts. The south works from November to April and the east from May to October, so there is a rideable break in season whenever you visit, from beginner beaches to reef points.
- Main PointArugam Bay (May-Oct)
- Pottuvil clusterWhisky Point & Peanut Farm (May-Oct)
- Midigama reefsLazy Left & Ram's (Nov-Apr)
- The RockKabalana & Ahangama (Nov-Apr)
- Beginner breaksWeligama (Nov-Apr)
- LongboardingHiriketiya & Mirissa (Nov-Apr)
- Reef breaksHikkaduwa & Unawatuna (Nov-Apr)
- Kitesurfing the lagoonKalpitiya (May-Sep)
Open the surf room
IVSri Lanka beaches
BeachesQuiet coast, both sides
Sri Lanka has two main beach coasts, the south and the east, and they run on opposite monsoons, so one of them is always calm. Luxury sand and quiet coves in the south from November to April; long empty stretches on the east, from Arugam Bay up to Nilaveli, from May to September. Quieter shores west and north for the days in between. These are real beaches, not a strip of resorts.
- Quiet luxury southTangalle & Talalla
- Footpath covesHiriketiya & Secret Beach
- Calm baysUnawatuna & Jungle Beach
- East-coast sandsPassikudah & Uppuveli (May-Sep)
- Palm-fringed westBentota & Beruwala
- Madu Ganga lagoon cruiseBalapitiya
- Sunset catamaranMirissa & Weligama
- Northern islandsDelft & Nainativu, Jaffna
- Seaplane hop to the coastCinnamon Air
Open the beaches room
Vcultural experiences Sri Lanka
CultureAncient sites, living culture
Sri Lanka has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all within a day's drive of each other. The culture is still very much alive, in daily temple ritual, festivals and craft. We arrange private visits early and late, before and after the tour groups.
- Sigiriya & Dambullathe Cultural Triangle
- Ancient capitalsAnuradhapura & Polonnaruwa
- Temple of the ToothKandy
- Esala PeraheraKandy (Jul/Aug)
- Nallur Kovil & the FortJaffna
- The Fort at duskGalle
- Cave templesMihintale & Aluvihara
- Wood-carving templeEmbekke
- Geoffrey Bawa's LunugangaBentota
- Mask carvingAmbalangoda
Open the culture room
VItea estate Sri Lanka
TeaTea estates, trains and hikes
Sri Lanka's central highlands produce some of the world's best tea, still picked by hand and graded by master tasters. The old planters' bungalows make characterful places to stay, and the region also holds the island's best train rides and highland hikes.
- Working estate stayHatton & Bogawantalawa
- Factory tour & tastingNuwara Eliya
- Lipton's Seat & DambatenneHaputale
- Private carriageKandy to Ella
- Nine Arch Bridge & Demodara LoopElla
- Pekoe Trail stagesKandy to Nuwara Eliya
- Adam's Peak pilgrimageSri Pada (Dec-May)
- World's End at dawnHorton Plains
- Little Adam's Peak & Ella RockElla
- Cloud-forest trekthe Knuckles
Open the tea room
VIIAyurveda Sri Lanka
WellnessAyurveda, yoga and retreats
Sri Lanka is one of the few places where Ayurveda is still practised as medicine rather than a spa treatment. It combines long traditions, qualified doctors and a calm setting. We work with the retreats where a resident doctor leads the programme.
- Panchakarma cleanseBeruwala & Bentota
- Shirodhara & Abhyangathe Ayurveda coast
- Off-grid AyurvedaUlpotha
- Yoga & surf-yogaTalalla & Hiriketiya
- Hill-country spa retreatSantani, Kandy
- Silent vipassanaforest monasteries
- Hot springsKanniya & Maha Oya
- Meditation & breathworkRitigala hermitage
Open the wellness room
VIIISri Lanka food experience
CulinarySri Lankan food and spice
Sri Lankan food is one of Asia's most underrated cuisines. It ranges from spice gardens and market stalls to home kitchens and a growing fine-dining scene in Colombo. We arrange cooking classes, private dinners and access to kitchens that don't usually take bookings.
- Seven-bowl rice & currythe private table
- Hoppers & string hoppers at dawnthe south
- Cooking classGalle & Ella
- Spice gardensMatale & Mawanella
- Jaffna crab currythe northern table
- Colombo street foodPettah market
- Ceylon cinnamon islandsMadu Ganga
- Arrack & toddy tastingthe south
- Chef's-pass dinnerCinnamon Gardens
Open the culinary room
IV · Access
We hold the door, and a long list of what's behind it.
Beyond the journey itself, your envoy holds a catalogue of services that quietly closes around the trip, a helicopter when the road is long, a sapphire dealer when the question comes up, a Bawa scholar for an afternoon at Lunuganga, a chef at the villa for the night you'd rather not go out. The list is long; the conversation is short.
And the quieter list, currency, permits, gifts, connectivity, pet logistics, held alongside.
Open the catalogue- I
Air, road & water
Helicopter, jet, fleet, yacht, held quietly.
Open - II
Bespoke
What's made for you, what's chosen with you.
Open - III
Cultural access
Bawa, members' clubs, private ceremonies, curators after hours.
Open - IV
Evenings
Casino, rooftop, jazz, the cricket box.
Open - V
Sport
Golf at 1879, polo at the south coast, sail off Mirissa.
Open - VI
In residence
Chef, butler, nanny, trainer, at the bungalow for the week.
Open
V · Quiet Questions
Things we are often asked, quietly answered.
Open any question. Multiple at once is fine. Anything missing, write and we will answer it personally.
Six to nine months is comfortable. Three is workable. Less than that and we will be honest about what is, and is not, possible to compose well in the time given.
All questions, by categoryvisa, money, food, family, 68 in all
VI · The Letter
An occasional letter, never daily.
We write when there is something worth telling you.
